Gentex Corporation

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Genetex Corporation

Jeffrey A Forgette

John S Anderson

William L Tonar

David J Cammenga

George A Neuman

Henry A Luten

Jon Harold Bechtel

Joseph S Stam

John W Carter

Lansen M Perron

Frederick T Bauer

Robert R Turnbull

Harlan J Byker

Alan R Watson

Gary Jay Dozeman

G Bruce Poe

Scott W Vander Zwaag

Philip B Hall

Jeffrey N Williams

John K Roberts

David Samuel Ginley

Mario F Saenger Nayver

Mark D Bugno

Marinus Franciscus Antonius Maria Van Hest

Michael T Stephenson

Zachary J Petroelje

Juan C Lara

Kevin B Kar

Nelson F Brummel

Garret C Denolf

John Perkins

Matthew Taylor

Scott D Frasher

Scott W VanderZwaag

Sheng Liu

Henrt A Luten

Bruce G Poe

Scott W Vander Zwagg

A vehicular rearview assembly with a mirror element having a curved or rounded edge on the first surface that is fully observable from the front of the assembly, a complex peripheral ring, and a user interface with switches and sensors that activate and configure pre-defined function(s) or device(s) of the assembly in response to the user input applied to the user interface. The mirror element is supported by a hybrid carrier co-molded of at least two materials, a portion of which is compressible between the housing shell and an edge of the mirror element. The peripheral ring may include multiple bands. Electrical communications between the electronic circuitry, the mirror element, and the user interface utilize connectors configured to exert a low contact force, onto the mirror element, limited in part by the strength of adhesive affixing the EC element to an element of the housing of the assembly.

Rearview assembly for a vehicle

A multi-zone reflector having an opaque zone and a transflective zone. The reflector includes a supporting base, a lower reflecting layer disposed adjacent the supporting base, and an upper reflecting layer extending over the opacifying layer and the transflective zone of the reflector. The lower reflecting layer substantially completely covers the transflective zone, and the opacifying layer is disposed substantially outside the transflective zone adjacent to the lower reflecting layer. Over at least a portion of the transflective zone, the upper and lower reflecting layers have a common surface.

Multi-zone mirrors

A single-substrate mirror element defined by a transflective metal layer&#x2014;non-metal layer&#x2014;metal layer coating disposed on the first surface of the substrate and enabled to meet the requirements of operation in an exterior rearview assembly and to provide for stealthy appearance of a light source of the assembly disposed behind the mirror element. The appearance of the mirror element, defined in parameters of the CIELAB color system, is substantially color-neutral, while tuning of reflectance and transmittance characteristics can be achieved substantially independently from one another. Reflectance value and measure of color content of light specularly reflected by the mirror at non-zero angles remains substantially stable within wide range of angles.

Vehicular exterior transflective rearview mirror assembly

Electro-optic elements are becoming commonplace in a number of vehicular and architectural applications. Various electro-optic element configurations provide variable transmittance and or variable reflectance for windows and mirrors. The present invention relates to various thin-film coatings, electro-optic elements and assemblies incorporating these elements.

Thin-film coatings, electro-optic elements and assemblies incorporating these elements

The present invention relates to improved electro-optic rearview mirror elements and assemblies incorporating the same. Area of the effective field of view of the electro-optic mirror element substantially equals to that defined by the outermost perimeter of the element.

Vehicular rearview mirror elements and assemblies incorporating these elements

An electrochromic element comprises a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, a second substrate in spaced-apart relationship to the first substrate and having a third surface facing the second surface and a fourth surface opposite the third surface, and an electrochromic medium located between the first and second substrates, wherein the electrochromic medium has a light transmittance that is variable upon application of an electric field thereto. The electrochromic element further comprises a transparent electrode layer covering at least a portion of at least a select one of the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface, wherein the transparent electrode layer comprises an insulator/metal/insulator stack. The materials utilized to construct the insulator/metal/insulator stack are selected to optimize optical and physical properties of the electrochromic element such as reflectivity, color, electrical switch stability, and environmental durability.

Electro-optical element including IMI coatings

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an electrochromic rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes an electrochromic mirror having a variable reflectivity, a glare sensor for sensing levels of light directed towards the front element from the rear of the vehicle, an ambient sensor for sensing levels of ambient light, a display positioned behind the partially transmissive, partially reflective portion of the reflector for displaying information therethrough.

Electrochromic rearview mirror assembly incorporating a display/signal light

Metal oxide thin films and production thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method of producing a metal oxide thin film may comprise introducing at least two metallic elements and oxygen into a process chamber to form a metal oxide. The method may also comprise depositing the metal oxide on a substrate in the process chamber. The method may also comprise simultaneously controlling a ratio of the at least two metallic elements and a stoichiometry of the oxygen during deposition. Exemplary amorphous metal oxide thin films produced according to the methods herein may exhibit highly transparent properties, highly conductive properties, and/or other opto-electronic properties.

Amorphous semiconducting and conducting transparent metal oxide thin films and production thereof

Growing community of inventors

Hudsonville, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey A Forgette